History

The first degrees approved to be awarded by the Department of Art occurred in 1958 with an MA in art as well as art history.  In 1965, the Department of Art, which had been a unit of the College of Liberal Arts, joined the new College of Fine Arts. Harry Wood, who had come to campus in the late 1950s, was chair of the Department of Art. He made the move with his department to the College of Fine Arts.

In 1970, the Department of Art moved into a new building that offered spacious studios and lecture halls. By that time, the art faculty had doubled in size from 13 to 26. As the 1980s began, the Department of Art became the School of Art and the position of chair was replaced with a director. Later in the decade, the Art Warehouse was built to contain course areas that used hazardous materials. This, in turn, freed up space in the Art Building for other needs.

The school still operates out of the Art Building and Art Warehouse, as well as Dixie Gammage Hall, Neeb Hall, the Ceramic Annex, the Art Annex and several other areas on the ASU Tempe Campus. The School of Art has four unique exhibition spaces: the Northlight Gallery in Matthews Hall, the Harry Wood Gallery in the Art Building, and the Step Gallery and Gallery 100 in Tempe Center. Nancy Serwint serves as acting director of the School of Art.

The School of Art, which has a permanent faculty of approximately 50, offers courses in art history, art education and studio art, leading to degrees of Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Fine Arts, Master of Arts, Master of Fine Arts and Doctor of Philosophy. Studio areas of specialization include ceramics, drawing, fibers, intermedia, metals, painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture and wood.

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